Low Kariba Dam levels behind blackouts

Nyashadzashe Ndoro

Chief Reporter

Zimbabwe’s electricity situation remains a major concern, with many areas experiencing power cuts, including some where electricity is only available between 10pm and 3am.

The Minister of Energy and Power Development, Edgar Moyo, addressed the issue in Parliament, explaining that the country is going through a lean period in terms of power generation due to hydrological issues at Lake Kariba.

“The issue of power supply in the country is heavily affected by hydrological issues in Lake Kariba where we have lost over 800 megawatts,” Moyo said.

“The stored capacity at Kariba is 1 050 megawatts and we are only able to produce 214 megawatts on average because of the water rationing which has resulted out of low inflows in the lake.”

The Minister acknowledged that this has made it difficult to sufficiently supply power in the country, but highlighted measures being taken to address the situation. These include the commissioning of Units 7 and 8, which produce above 600 megawatts daily, and efforts to increase renewable energy production.

However, Zanu PF Murewa South MP Noah Mangondo, raised concerns about power cuts caused by faults not repaired on time.

“My question to the Hon. Minister is, what is the policy in terms of repair of faults as well as whether Government has service level agreements with ZETDC in terms of their Service Charter?” he asked.

Minister Moyo responded: “In the case of faults, there are different causes of faults which range from antiquated equipment to vandalism. On the specific question of the policy, the policy is to expeditiously attend to those faults. In specific cases where those faults have not been attended to for such long periods as given by the Hon. Member, I would propose that we have a discussion around that on the specific issues so that we can make follow-ups and determine what the reasons are.

“It will be very difficult to generalise in terms of attending to faults because each fault has its own problems and constraints. I would advise the Member that we meet even after this session or they can come to the offices and we have a look into that.”

He also acknowledged that there are service level agreements with ZETDC, but noted that the funding gap resulting from the cost reflective tariff introduced last year has affected service delivery.

When asked about engagement with individuals who have developed innovative solutions, such as Maxwell Chikumbutso’s device that can tap radio energy, Moyo said: “At the moment, we have not followed up on that ... we have not really got any responses regarding that.”

Regarding revenue collections since the conversion to Zim dollars, Minister Moyo stated: “There has not been a further increase apart from what was awarded towards the end of last year.”